[Video transcript]
This image of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, sitting with his war cabinet members ministers Yoav Gallant and Benny Gantz, is misleading: meant to show unity while, behind the scenes, there are growing tensions and deep political divides between them.
Opinion polls show a clear trend of eroding support for the man who has managed, in an almost mythical way, to hold on to power through many ups and downs — longer than any other prime minister in Israel.
But now, as the fighting in Gaza continues, with over 120 hostages still in the hands of Hamas — classified by multiple countries as a terrorist organization —, public anger, grief and frustration are catching up with Netanyahu: the man who promised to be Israel's protector and, as critics say, failed.
Meanwhile, the centrist politician with the calm demeanour, Benny Gantz, a former chief of the IDF and a member of the war cabinet, is winning hearts. He has tripled his standing in the polls. To counter the popular general in his own cabinet, Netanyahu has toughened his own stance:
(Benjamin Netanyahu)
"The Palestinian Authority in its current format cannot get control, cannot get control of Gaza, after we fought and we did all this, to give it to them!"
But Netanyahu’s break further to the right, and his refusal to discuss a path to a two-state solution and a long-term arrangement for the Gaza Strip, is not just an internal discussion. It puts the Israeli government at odds with the Biden administration, to the dismay of Benny Gantz. Many observers wonder now: how much longer can this make-shift political partnership still last?